Safer conditions focus for intersection works

THE Remembrance Drive intersection located next to the old Windermere Hotel has seen work to install a new roundabout completed.

With $3 million provided by the State Government, the project was delivered as part of the Keeping Ballarat Moving initiative, and was completed in mid-October one month ahead of schedule.

Member for Ripon, Martha Haylett, said the site was previously a notorious spot for traffic incidents.

“There’s about 1000 motorists that use this stretch of road every day,” she said. “It’s had many crashes and a lot of near misses in the past.

“A lot of locals know it as a really dangerous area so this roundabout is going to have a really significant impact on the safety of motorists, and residents in Cardigan Village.

“Ballarat’s west is growing so rapidly and we need to make sure we keep up with the growth.”

Located at the Madden and Weighbridge roads turnoffs, the intersection saw eight crashes between 2015 and 2019 which resulted in 16 minor and seven major injuries, and one death.

The new roundabout features a raised safety platform with the approaching speed limits reduced to 80kph.

As well as the $3 million for the roundabout, the Keeping Ballarat Moving also includes $60 million towards updating six other traffic hotspots in the region.

Works were undertaken by Enoch Civil while heritage permits were required due to Remembrance Drive forming a portion of Ballarat’s Avenue of Honour.

Department of Transport and Planning’s Barwon South West and Grampians executive director Michael Bailey said the road’s historical significance was considered during development.

“[We worked] really closely in collaboration with the Avenue of Honour committee and VicPol,” he said.

“There were heritage permits in place to maintain the heritage of the avenue as well as tree management plans and those types of things.”